Of Metal and Men
by Undaunted-Hawk
Summary: A "Steam Powered Giraffe" fanfic. When Peter Walter created his automatons, he hadn't planned to send them to battle. Now that the war's past and over, a single automaton that had survived and been 'MIA' has returned to California. What happens when she doesn't come in peace and all she knows is how to fight?


**Chapter One:**

_1896: Open Your Eyes_

"Walter," A man wearing a long brown coat and a fedora that shadowed his face said in a dangerous tone of voice that made the scientist's skin crawl with slight resignation to the end, "you are the only man that can stop Thadeus' elephants." The scientist inwardly groaned at this piece of well-known knowledge. Of course, he also knew that he was the only one with the abilities capable of pushing back his old friend and current arch nemesis. "If you continue on with your pity party, the world will be on its knees before long."

Peter A. Walter, being a heartbroken man, simply shrugged his already slumped shoulders and said with a submissive sigh, "The battle is already lost, my good sir…. There's nothing left for me here but my robots." He glanced behind him to a door that most likely would lead to the room where he had once programmed them to woo the woman of his dreams. Three robots stood behind that very door and listened to their father and creator be pleaded to fight by the mysterious man with a pegged leg.

The shady man, with a slight smirk of dark satisfaction at the flinching of the scientist, asked, "What would Delilah say if she were able to hear you, eh?" The handsome scientist did not meet his jet black eyes or even look up at him from under his overgrown and unkempt locks of dark mahogany. The dark man readjusted his suspenders in an odd, but almost ritualistic fashion that made it seem like something out of habit.

It wasn't until the stranger cleared his throat that Peter realized that he would have to respond whether he liked the truth or not. "She would…" the scientist stuttered hopelessly before tears welled in his dark brown eyes, "want me to do whatever it took to ensure the safety of the entire human race."

"That's more like it." The suspender man said with a cocky grin. "How about I plan on coming back next week and checking in on your progress, eh?"

"That would be just fine," Peter replied in a sad tone as he was forced to return his mind's eyes back on the memories of Delilah's smiling face and chiming laughter that made his heart flip in his breast. "I shall have at least one more automaton created by then."

The man nodded his head before turning and walking out of the door without another word. By the time the door had slammed shut, Peter was already kneeling on the ground, clutching the letter that requested his Blue Matter, his most successful creation, to be used for the good of the country- and world for that matter. For you see, his old best friend and fellow scientist, Thadeus Becile had discovered something so strange and powerful only half a year's time before this very day. During those simple times of warring constantly with his friend over the affections of a chemist, Delilah Moreau, Becile had discovered the most powerful substance known to man at that point in time, Green Matter, within the Babclock's Dandy Candy mine and derived completely from the rock candy itself. This matter had led to both the man's fame and destruction within the Cavalcadium.

The man had created an African elephant completely out of copper and fueled by this disastrous matter, only to have it uncovered that the Green matter had necromantic properties and would kill the human that was controlling the powerful machine, leaving behind nothing but the dead husks of people that had wanted nothing more than to be part of yet another scientific revolution. Of course, the man's lack of judgment left him without anyplace to take his inventions and so he was now coming back to regain his revenge upon the people that he had once tried so hard to impress.

Before Delilah's terminal illness had taken her life, Peter might have actually done whatever it took to capture his former ally and set the world back into a peaceful state. Since her death, Peter Walter had become nothing but the shell of a once brilliant-minded man that could have so quickly changed the world with his safer and more reliable alternative known as Blue Matter. In his devouring sorrow, the man had turned to his final project: a trio of musical robots that might have won over the heart of the chemist that had stolen his so long ago.

Peter reflected upon these memories with such vigor that he had not heard the hissing and metallic movements of his three automatons. He simply blinked a couple of times in order to push away any emotions that might result in tears or even sobs. Then he stood up and turned to gaze almost lovingly, or whatever affection that he could muster up from the remains of his shattered heart, at the three robots.

The first of the three was a robot of tall and lean stature, dark hair, and a titanium exterior, but the one thing that was most prominent about this robot was that his spine seemed to protrude from his back. This robot, or 'The Spine' as he had deemed him, had eyes that glowed a bright blue like the Matter that filled his core. This robot held himself in such a manner that made him almost superior to the other two, but at the same time, Peter wondered whether this automaton would prove this assumption correct in the future.

The second musically engineered automaton stood slightly shorter than the first of the troupe and had a copper tint and was more artistic than the first, although this was the first automaton that he had created without the intentions of being artistic, and had a worry expression upon his face; though it was obvious that these automatons were incapable of feeling any true emotions. 'The Rabbit', being named after the first creature that he had pointed at while they were in the lab, was probably the most clever of the three, or so he had proven over the course of the past couple of months.

The third and final musically talented creation that Peter had dished out was the oddball of the three. The automaton stood at approximately the same height as the other two, if not slightly shorter than The Rabbit, but had a gold coloring. Not only that, but the most distinctive thing about this robot was his mime-like appearance. He was even shy to fit the bill, although that fact would not seem true whilst he was with The Rabbit and The Spine. 'The Jon' had proven to be possibly the most musically talented robot yet, but Peter did not want to make any more robots, for there was no one in particular for them to sing to directly.

With these three staring at him with their concerned, eerily glowing eyes, Peter Walter could do nothing but want to stay strong for them, even though they would never understand the heartbreak that he would suffer from for eternity.

"Well," Peter said as he stuffed the letter into his worn and torn lab coat, "I guess it's time that we start fixing up another friend for you three."

"Will they sing?" Asked the Spine.

"No," the scientist replied in a cold tone that made the three musical automatons shift somewhat uncomfortably, "this next robot will know not how to sing, but how to fight. I intend to create them to be able to defeat all of the copper elephant army."

"But-" The Jon started before he was interrupted by the Rabbit.

"Let him do as he wishes. He no longer holds a care for the world..."

Peter pretended not to hear the Rabbit's chilling words as he stepped into his laboratory and walked up to the chalkboard containing his designs for this fourth robot.


End file.
